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[R75] Local legislators invited to take part in tactical emergency training

Start Date:

5/5/2014

Start Time:

12:00 AM

End Date:

5/5/2014

Entry Description

STATEHOUSE – This past week, State Representatives Wendy McNamara (R-Mount Vernon) and Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) traveled to Texas after being invited to take part in the Basic Tactical Operational Medical Support Course (BTOMSC) put on by the Cypress Creek Tactical Medic Team in Houston.

The course is an international, 81 hour, six day total immersion course in tactical operational medical support. The course is open to the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic and above and teaches them how to respond in active shooter situations, mass casualty situations, meth lab explosions and more.

“I was so impressed by the work that the Cypress Creek Tactical Medic Team does for our country,” said Rep. Bacon. “When an emergency occurs, it is essential that EMTs and paramedics are able to immediately start treating those who have been injured. The faster they are able to do their job, the more lives that can be saved. The Cypress Creek Tactical Medic Team teaches these individuals the important information that they need to safely and immediately begin their work during an emergency.”

Reps. McNamara and Bacon were the first Indiana state legislators to take part in the training. They were invited in part because of their work on House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1111 which was authored by Rep. McNamara and co-authored by Rep. Bacon.

In 2011 officers from the Evansville Police Department attended the tactical emergency training and began to implement some of the concepts in Evansville. Officers who received this training were able to save lives, that otherwise could have been lost.

HEA 1111 was signed into law in 2013, and dealt with tactical emergency medicine. Before this law was enacted, there were no specific citations in Indiana that addressed the use of tactical emergency medicine by police officers. Those officers who were involved in violent confrontations were required to extract the wounded and secure them in areas where EMT’s and paramedics can address the wounds.

“SWAT team members were trained in tactical emergency medicine, yet were not within legal right to perform immediate life-saving measures,” said Rep. McNamara. “This law addressed these problems by allowing individuals to save lives in dangerous situations. Trained personnel are not able to immediately respond in case of an emergency. In critical situations, first responder’s shouldn’t be prohibited from acting in a time of need. Attending the BTOMSC training, enabled me to view firsthand the need for HEA 1111 and more importantly, highlight the proactive steps we need to take in Indiana to be prepared to respond to austere encounters.”

Reps. Bacon and McNamara were joined by members of Indiana Homeland Security, Officers of the Indiana State Police and Evansville Police Department as well as Texas State Representative Debbie Riddle.

“Rep. Bacon and I are extremely thankful for the invitation and opportunity to learn even more about the work these brave men and women do in service to our communities,” said Rep. McNamara.

If you would like to learn more about Cypress Creek Tactical Medic Team visit their website at http://www.ccems.com/.

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